FAYETTEVILLE -- Tennessee accomplished on the road what Arkansas failed to accomplish at home in their respective SEC openers.
The Vols beat Texas A&M, last season's SEC co-champion, 73-63 last Thursday in College Station, Texas.
The Razorbacks, meanwhile, lost their SEC opener, 81-72 at Walton Arena to the Florida Gators.
Arkansas visits Tennessee at 5:30 p.m. Central Tuesday on the SEC Network at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, then visits eighth-ranbked Kentucky at 7:30 p.m. Central Saturday on the SEC Network at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky.
So while Coach Mike Anderson's 2016-2017 Razorbacks clearly seem deeper and better than his Razorbacks of last season, they clearly could start this SEC season 0-3.
That's not an insurmountable hole in a SEC season that spans 18 games. But it wouldn't be easy, given that this season's overall SEC basketball quality seems significantly stronger overall than last season's.
Arkansas went 11-1 nonconference against a reasonably tough schedule.
Tennessee went 7-5 nonconference against a tougher one.
Tennessee's preSEC schedule included five opponents that can be described as majors --Wisconsin, Oregon, Gonzaga, North Carolina and Georgia Tech.
The only victory came over Georgia Tech, but that came before last Thursday's victory at Texas A&M.
Arkansas has won two of the three games in its nonconference schedule that came against so-called major opponents -- beating Houston at Walton and Texas in Houston, while losing a true road game to Minnesota in Minneapolis.
Before dismissing Arkansas' victories over mid majors like Indiana-Purdue-Fort Wayne, Stephen F. Austin, Austin Peay, Texas-Arlington, North Florida, North Dakota State and Sam Houston, note some of them have knocked off major names.
Tennessee barely survived mid major East Tennessee, 72-68, and got waxed on Nov. 11 in Knoxville, 82-69 by Tennessee-Chattanooga.
Tennessee has improved dramatically since losing to UT-Chattanoga, and were led by two freshmen in College Station -- guard Lamonte Turner (14 points) and forward Grant Williams (six blocks). Turner and Williams are weapons that Tennessee didn't have when last season's 16-16 Razorbacks vanquished the Vols, 85-67, at Walton.
Arkansas has a returning core of senior center Moses Kingsley; senior guards Dusty Hannahs and Manuale Watkins; junior guard Anton Beard and junior center Trey Thompson, who serves as Kingsley's backup.
Junior-college transfer guards Daryl Macon and Jaylen Barford, juco transfer forward Arlando Cook, transfer forward Dustin Thomas, and freshman forward Adrio Bailey are the significant additions, so far.
But even with Macon scoring a game-high 22, Arkansas was outdone by Florida.
The Gators were quicker, more experienced, and just plain better while coolly dissecting the Razorbacks at Walton.
"It was a test and we didn't pass the test," Anderson said.
The Vols have senior 3-year letterman guard Robert Hubbs, their leading scorer averaging 14.8, and off-the-bench junior guard Detrick Mostella, but the Vols don't have as many proven veterans as Florida.
The Vols do have the confidence advantage of returning home off a conference road victory rather than hitting the road off getting schooled at home, like Arkansas.
Sports on 01/02/2017